Morning Bell: Gulf Oil Spill, One Year Later

A year ago today, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico cost the lives of 11 men and threatened untold damage to the ecosystem. It was an unprecedented disaster, and the tragic loss of life it entailed made it all the more imperative that such an accident never repeat itself.

In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, the disaster response proved heroic: The crew of a Tidewater supply vessel rescued the 115 survivors of the explosion in little more than an hour. But in the weeks and months that followed, crisis management proved significantly less adept. It took 87 days to cap the rig’s exposed oil well, which steadily spilled oil into the Gulf. And as The Wall Street Journal reports today, the effects of the Obama Administration’s response to the spill are more apparent now than ever, with offshore oil production down 13 percent and crude oil prices up 33 percent.

Following the disaster, the White House’s response seemed to become little more than a thin cover for the enactment of an economically crippling energy agenda. In May, President Obama issued a six-month moratorium on all deepwater drilling. In June, a federal judge struck it down, calling it “arbitrary and capricious,” not justified by the Gulf’s safety record. A few weeks later, in defiance of the judge, the Administration reissued the moratorium. The judge held the Administration in contempt.

In time for the November 2010 elections — and ahead of schedule — the Administration “lifted” the moratorium — but, for months, no deepwater permits and few shallow water permits followed. A new term was coined: “permitorium.” Eventually, the Department of the Interior issued a few farcical deepwater permits, but today’s average is well below the historic norm.

One year later, even the most resilient Gulf Coast residents wonder how long they can live like this.

Leslie Bertucci, a native of New Orleans and the owner of the oilfield equipment company R and D Enterprises, isn’t shy about sharing her views:

My message for President Obama is that I would love for him to come to R and D Enterprises in Harvey, La., and meet us and see us and talk to our employees and get a real, true understanding of the reality of what is really happening because of this moratorium that shouldn’t be in place in the first place,” Bertucci says.

For this hard-working mother of six — who, with her husband, built her business from its start in a spare bedroom of her home to the industrial campus it is today — says the drilling moratorium has caused her company’s revenue stream to all but dry up. R and D Enterprises supplies equipment to transport chemicals to and from deepwater oil rigs. When those rigs aren’t allowed to drill, R and D’s equipment sits idle.

The best course forward is clear: The Obama Administration needs to resume the usual rate of permitting in both deep and shallow water to reinvigorate the Gulf, recover lost government revenue, decrease dependence on foreign oil, create jobs, and prevent even higher gas prices in the future. No policy can reverse last year’s spill — but better energy policy could ease the burden that the Administration itself imposed on the Gulf.

As Bertucci puts it: “The explosion was horrendous, the loss of life was devastating to the families, to the companies they worked for, to our whole community. I think the damage to our ecosystem, to our marshlands and coastline was awful… The moratorium doesn’t change any of that at all. Safety is No. 1 and needs to be No. 1, but I don’t think that all of the operators in the Gulf need to be shut down because there was a mistake on one rig.”

Join The Discussion

4 – 20 – 11 FROM – Ken Jarvin
?
WHY is Obama Going to CA to be on FBook?
He must not GET how it works.

HE Should be on FBook – Daily – To LISTEN to what we have to Tell him.

Obama is the type guy –
if you ask him, what time it is,
he Tells you how to BUILD a WATCH.
===

Ben C., Ann Arbor, MI on April 19th, 2011 at 12:21pm said:
,,, " by attending our local Tea Party I am a better informed citizen."

*** Ben – What is it YOU know NOW, that you learned from
the TParty?
=====
Sorry about your luck Ken Jarvis – we are not going away.
*** "Going Away"
I haven't seen you do anything yet.
The GOP used the TParty to get control,
And, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?
No more jobs. We are still in the same Mess.
===

The spill was a tradegy and created alot of pain and suffering, but, like everything else we learn and move forward. The sad part of this was that those who should have learned, more, the government, failed to do their job and now continue to penalize the region and us because of ideological concerns about our oil usage in general. It's sad that we have to sit and tolerate the arrogance of those like a Salazar and Obama who preach about all this green technology and then thumb their noses at everyone else indicating it's ok for you to go without, but we won't.

By stupidity or by design (I think likely the latter) Obama is strangling US businesses in general with over regulation, increasing our dependence on foreign oil, foisting upon us all unwanted ObamaCare (which will cost, not save us money), ruining the US Dollar by printing up trillions of "funny money" which will ignite inflation & running up an impossible to repay debt which will probably soon result in the fall of the US Dollar as the world's reserve currency. In short, he is destroying the USA as we once knew it. Unfortunately, with about 50% of people paying no Federal Income Taxes & ever looking for more "free lunches", our worst President in our history might even get re-elected because most Republicans are wimpy or are also big government Progressives!

If the Tea Party can't change the Republican Party, time for a third major Party, even if in the short run it means the Democrats win. At least they will then be 100% responsible for the financial collapse of our nation. Then rebuild our nation by electing third party people.

Any time we shut down an industry we are taking away jobs. There are so many areas in this country that we could have created jobs, find a need fill it for a fee sort of thinking I don.t understand why we are in so much trouble. Why are we not creating jobs? Why are there so many factories shutting down, and moving to third world countries? Some answers are simple, We need to offer incentives to industry to open up and hire Americans to work.The oil industry in the gulf is big and if they cannot operate, people from all over suffer. I have lived down there and so many people from all over get work there and send their money home to their families. This country can only prosper if the people can work and pay taxes, buy products and build homes. Money has to stay in circulation and that can only happen when people hold jobs.Any moratorium that stops drilling in the gulf is hurting our country and that is the plain and simple truth. God Bless our Country and our people.

You are so kind to the Obama Administration I might as well watch the Three Blind Mice (ABC, NBC and CBS)! I think Obama is a traitor who actually Conspired to create the Gulf Oil Spill! So sure, I am grateful you wrote about the Man Made Disaster of Obama's Federal Response. As the Conspiracy theory goes, the certifiable communist running inspections gives BP self inspection, they intentionally cause the Disaster! BP gets paid off in the Climate Exchange, but don't worry BP doesn't lose anything! Only the BP shareholders Obama denied dividends! Tell you what, this Conspiracy Theory works out so well that a year later you can say it was an "accident," and people don't laugh!

It is plain fact that our Oil Industry has been targeted for a take down! It is horrifying to think Obama intended it, now that we can see how the Gulf Oil Spill served him so well! Our American Reality is too horrible to think! Then, you point out his Administration is perfectly willing to break the Law in order to exploit it! Harming whole vast Sectors of American Industry, like the Gulf Oil Exploration Industry, it is unthinkable that Obama is doing as he does! He has established Dictatorships throughout the Government Agencies. Don't get me wrong, I love Heritage Foundation. I depend on you guys!

Be kind to Dictators? Negotiate with proven terrorists? Man Caused Disaster, being New Speak for 'Terrorism' (Double Un-PC talk), it isn't appropriate for Republicans in the House to negotiate with the Liberals! Laugh! The Media, Karl Rove, lots of people are critical of Donald Trump for his 'Birther' remarks. I like Trump because the man is a Winner, and the winning strategy behind the Birth Certificate is the fact that Democrats Never Vetted Obama (and the Cert proves it!) Obama was selected into Office! He was Never Vetted! The proof of that is that Democrats to this day Still Don't Know Obama is a Third Generation Communist! See? As to Why Obama is doing maximum damage to America in every Issue? If Trump keeps pulling the thread the whole Democratic Party can come unraveled! Democrats don't know the Communists usurped their Political Party!

I say the Gulf Oil Disaster was impossible. They even covered the Deep Wells against Sabotage! The double shut off valve. My Statistical Analysis proves the Gulf Spill was intentionally caused, it is literally billions to one against! So, here you expose the Motive, proved by the continuation of the Motive before and after the spill. And Lawlessness from a Sitting President! Well! Gosh! Just everywhere! True there isn't "A shred of Evidence!" No! There is a whole Tapestry of Evidence! A President is demanding Totalitarian Powers through the HHS Dept and Judge Vinson warned our Nanny State is "Noblesse Oblige!" I think it will be wonderful to watch Donald Trump Vet Obama in the 2012! What? So we don't have to?

What happend with the oil well in the gulf was bad…. But what happened after the well started spilling oil out into the water was completly avoidable. Any farmer (that is one who dosen't have a university education) could have stopped up the well within 48 hours, if he had at his disposel the equipment available to the college grads that didn't have a clue what they were doing.

When you attend a Tea Party (Taxed, Enough, Already) you can learn all the lies that Mr. B HO spouts that on the one way Television. CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC consider him their sacred cow and will not tell you the truth if it bit them in the Butt. True journalism is dead. There are no Woodward and Bernstein's coming up.and doing their job.

Any one that has the back bone to watch FOX will see they do not lie, when they tell you any thing you see what Mr. B HO said to get elected and what he is saying and or doing now. Lying his butt off to get re-elected. He has put us, going on, 15,000,000,000,000.00 dollars in debt That is fifteen trillion. And if we (America) never spent another dime Mr. B HO and George Soros, the Apollo

Alliance, the Tides Foundation and the aprox. 1,000 other groups + Acorn owned and operated by Mr. Soros. Mr. B HO has put us so far in debt. We spend 188 Million dollars every hour of every day in intrest alone. And you would like to help him borrow some more money? This is insanity at its finest. And he has you all thinking he knows what he is doing. Mr. B HO either does know and he is deliberatey trying to destroy the very country that alows you to live in piece, freedom and safety. It is the only country that every one escapes to to be free.

Or he is truly cluless as to what he is doing and he is just told to stand here and read these words, now go over ther and sit down. When the fire gets too hot they get him out of Dodge. Unemployment is not the fault of the tea party it is the fault of Mr. B HO. No one working, no money coming in in tax dollars the more he has to borrow. Perfect.

When bombs fall and bullets fly, people die. Libya is Obamas war. Just another way for him to spend money that we do not have so he can borrow more money, to put America deeper in debt. And the beat goes on. When you wake up some morning and we have tanks in our streets and they are not ours. Then maybe then and only then you will see the whole picture of what he is doing to us. But it will be too late. I pray this day never comes.

Ayn Rand wrote 57 years ago.

In their efforts, these "men of the mind" hope to demonstrate that a world in which the individual is not free to create is doomed, that civilization cannot exist where men are slave to society and government, and that the distruction of the profit motive leads to the collapse of society. Truer to day then 57 year ago.

What America, the Gulf Coast, Texas, Arizona and any other person, place or thing that opposes anything Obama and his Administration does needs to realize that there is NOTHING he will to do help. He and his Administration are intent on destroying all that we cherish and have sacrificed and worked hard to accomplish. Their arrogance, disrespect for the law and traditions that made America great do no mean a thing to him. They hate all the America stands for and are doing all in their power to cut it down to size, their size. I just don't see any change in direction unless the GOP develop a backbone and those elected in Nov. make them develop one.

I'd be curious to know if Heritage is looking into the letter Waxman/Markey/Degette sent to Lisa Jackson at the EPA back in January regarding hydraulic fracturing. It is yet another attempt to atack the oil industry by attacking the drillers – the few news articles on the topic (as well as their letter) are replete with inaccuracies or probably deliberate mixing of issues in order to make it look like a problem where one may not exist. Most specifically they fail to define the specific issue – purposely is my guess.

Wake up America. Obama did it again! He needed to make this 'crises" as destructive as possible to justify shuting down offshore drilling. Three days after the blow-out Obama refused help from foreign countries that had the proper equipment to aid in the clean-up, claiming the Jones Act. That law was installed almost 100 years ago to protect maritime unions (George Bush waved this act with the stroke of his pen after Katrina), resulting in oil spreading as far East as Florida and West to South Texas. Obama killed two birds with one stone. Protected his unions friends at the same time shut down drilling.

Obama delibertly manipulated federal agencies such as USCG, USF&WS, ID, EPA, etc, to block attempts to reduce damage to our fragile wet lands, by not only refusing local officals to take measures to stop the majorty of oil from reaching shore, but actually completely stopped clean-up operations sighting "safty reasons", such as not enough PFD on skimming vessels.

Obama came to South Louisiana for several photo opts and lied stright faced to local people, while pretending to eat local seafood. His minions then went on camera and distorted truth. With all due respect to Ms. Bertucci, if Obama would come to Harvey, what good would that do? Does she actually think Obama would consol her and her emplorees? Would he listen? Would he relent

his hatred of fossil fuels? Or will he look her in the eyes and lie, just as he has done in the past? Does she expect anything but a grunt from a pig?

The out and out lies in connection with the reason the BOP failed to shut-in the well are as distorted as the "magic bullet theory". Of course Obama's minions continue to push this farce to mantain the deception. Yet fools like Shep Smith on Fox, do not challange the lies, but allow the deception to continue to cover up

tax dollars to drill offshore in their waters, which is the same body of water as our's. Could it be that the President of Brazil just happens to be a former gorilla fighter and communist that severed time in prison for fighting to overthrow her own government. "Birds of a feather……".

For the sake of this nation, just look at the facts. Obama is delibertly

destroying everything we know as our American way of life. But we all must understand Obama cannot do this alone. He has the help of the Democrat Party

and the main stream news media. This all must end before it's too late. People must wake up.

Mrs. Bertucci, since you were obviously successful in building your business, and becoming rich with "Big Oil", stop whining. According to our most humble and wise leader you one of those elected to sacrifice and humble yourself for the good of the nation. Be proud that you are among those who have "given" and remind your neighbors and friends in 2012 just how fortunate you were. Heaven help oour exceptional nation!.

Again, here is where the Heritage Foundation loses me. Your policy suggestions rarely suggest a reduction in consumption…as if market forces will take care of that someday…perhaps it will, but we will all be in terrible trouble when that day comes.

Permits should be issued – but not without difficult policy decisions that steer our consumptive behaviors in the right general direction. The status quo is kicking he can down the road.

Nice video about the Obama agenda. These people are not alone. Todd Hornbeck (of Hornbeck Off Shore – the guy who filed the first law suite and won) is another person who is doing his best to keep his people employed. But when all the rigs are leaving and new ones are not drilling it is an impossible situation. But then Brazil (and George Soros) will be drilling for oil with our money. Whats wrong with this picture?

Obama has no true understanding or interest in a hard-working family in the Gulf with six children, who are fighting to live. He knows nothing about running a business and refuses to take charge of the oil disaster in the USA, instead reaching out to Brazil. The worst President ever; a total fraud, weak and unable to lead. We must get rid of him in 12, if our country is to recoup and thrive.

If one mishap is criteria for closing down an entire industry providing an essential product for America, why then shouldn't we close down the Executive Branch of government due to the mishap of electing a president who is intent on destroying the fabric of America and has made far too much progress toward that end.

This is Obama's strategy to move us from the evil, profitable oil companies to "planet saving Green" alternative energy sources, none of which are viable or we would already have done so.

All those thousands of windmills account for less than 2.5% of our energy; can you imagine what 10 times as many would look like? Ethanol costs more in energy consumption to produce than it yields and solar is very expensive, inefficient and then works only during daylight hours. Electric cars won't drip oil on your driveway but recharge their hazardous chemical laden batteries from a coal or oil burning power plant! And you need a Hazmat team to come in if you drop and break a CFL lamp!

That is an excellent video. Did you send a copy to the Speaker's office? Was anyone there? Did you send a copy to Mitch McConnell? Mitch McConnell could be the de-facto leader of the Senate, considering the November election. There are more than two democrats that would have been scared to death of their re-election chances but apparently Harry Reid is that much tougher (and stronger) than Mitch. Of course now, after watching five months of waffling, and mealy mouth wimpering by the republican "leaders" I don't think any of the democrats are "scared" anymore. Please make sure little johnny gets a copy of these articles.

However, the House is at least slowing down obma's communist takeover of our Country. If he gets in again in 2012 and the Dems retain the Senate or gain the House majority, then all will be lost and obama and his cronnie communists will have their way. It will be a sad day. But I have have hope for our great Country based on our history of defeating the evils of the world in the past, and hope we can win one more round with the evil doers.

The BP oil spill was too coincidental to be an accident. Just a week before the "accident" cpotus announced opening up drilling in the gulf and then by accident there is a major oil spill and cpotus is able to place a moratorium on drilling to "protect the environment".

Perhaps you're right. No single disaster in the Gulf should be the cause of drilling there being brought to a standstill and the flow of oil and jobs jeopardized. The same pertains to regulation of banks and Wall Street the result of one disaster. Better not to regulate and create unintended fiscal problems. And the same pertains to EPA's ability to regulate. Better to ignore all the environmental symptoms here and there around the country and defund EPA's ability to act on behalf of all Americans since their regulations could strangle business, growth, prosperity. And the list goes on–FDA, nuclear energy, etc. Current need tops any long-term considerations, right?

Or is what you're saying "Why worry since we just don't know what will happen down the road?" If so, that's quite a monkey you're willing to put on your back, those of you pushing pro-business policies with a "caution" sign flashing ahead.

This country has a history of over comming diversity and disaster. The reason that the oil spill has devastated this country is that it wasn't left to the states to solve and the federal government used the crisis to forward their energy policy.

They didn't want it to be solved in a timely manner. The state run operations to clean up the spill were hindered intentionally by fereral interference.

This disaster was a tool to force more dependence on foerign oil. That insured that gas prices would continue to rise and slow down the the American economy.

The moritorium on drilling is costing more than money. it is costing us our security, our jobs and the American Dream. We stand on the edge of the destruction of the greatest society mankind has ever known and that destruction is the goal of this administration.

I personally don't want my children to live in a once great country that turned to a marxist doctrine and socialism. Where FREEDOM is only a memory for short period of time then is lost forever.

The inspections and evaluations provided by government gave a clear go ahead and even some awards! * months later there is a malfunction not seen during evaluation? Come on! Incompetence and a murdering of 11 human lives! .

When there is a disaster in America it is always reported as the "worst disaster in American history." Since we're all of the same world, how about leaving America out when it comes to the "worst in history?"

Thanks for an accurate illustration of the events that followed the "tradgedy".

The proper response would be to insure safe drilling in the Gulf and to extend the rights to drill in and construct the 75 mile pipeline from the Alaskan ANWAR to the Alaskan pipeline. This would greatly help our oil situation rather than finance Columbia and Brazil's oil production.

Even the State of Alaska has offered to extend this link to the Alaskan Pipeline.

There were a lot of problems concerning the lines of authority during the Gulf Oil Spill. These are part and parcel of our federal system – I've taken a look at a couple of these problems at http://wp.me/p1cCQg-1b

[…] The Heritage Foundation gives us this three-minute look at the effects of the “permitorium” in the Gulf on drilling, talking with the owner and employees of R and D Enterprises on the anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout. The Obama administration has done everything it can do to stall new drilling in the Gulf, which has the region’s economy reeling. Leslie Bertucci tells Heritage that Hurricane Katrina destroyed the economy through force majeure, but the permitorium is doing exactly the same through deliberate and intentional action by Washington: Leslie Bertucci, a native of New Orleans and the owner of the oilfield equipment company R and D Enterprises, isn’t shy about sharing her views: […]

If Obama slowed the reaction to the explosion so that it would be easier to implement the restriction of leases, then he is even more devious than I imagined. (and I am hardly an admirer.)

To let the Gulf be brutalized by the daily gushing of crude is unimagineable. It tells me, that if he really has a far off objective that he, and possibly Soros, are working toward, then we are in more trouble than I thought.

The Republican Party OR the Tea Party must come up with a candidate that can nullify Obama's promised one billion dollar campaign.

Drilling for fossil fuel should be a matter of National Security and also should be as important as the military budget. This National Security issue should be attached to every bill put forth by Congress and advertised as such in every interview given by Republicans. Also, the US could be as bad off as Europe-as far as-parts for military aircraft and equipment for all branches of service. We need to re-focus on US manufacturing to insure that our National Security is just that-secure. After 2012, Obama should be Impeached, the economy fixed by a larger scale of energy independence. Medical science should become a major world trade equalizer-as well as oil.

The BP oil spill was a disaster that resonate in our lives for years. It devastated lives, disrupted many industries and the livelihoods of people. The lessons that need to be learned involve the implementation of safety procedures in all industries that involve dangerous chemicals and processes. There are many companies who are effective in providing for safe development. The fisheries in Louisiana are still suffering from the spill. It's time that a prudent approach be taken to maintain high quality of production for our citizens.

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